PARIS — It looks like the resort bubble may have finally burst.
Christian Dior, which last May staged a splashy, celebrity-studded megashow in New York, is skipping the runway this season, WWD has learned. And Gucci, which has staged runway shows in New York and Rome for its cruise collection, is opting instead for a presentation at its New York flagship boutique on June 15 and 16.
Dior plans to present its collection to buyers in Paris and New York, but dates and details have yet to be finalized, according to a spokesman for the French fashion house.
The scaling back leaves Chanel alone among big European houses staging full-scale runway shows for cruise, a selling season that had accrued more glamour, hype and showmanship in recent years.
As reported, Karl Lagerfeld is heading to Venice May 14 to show Chanel’s latest cruise collection at the Excelsior Resort’s Lido Beach, with about 350 guests expected. Privately held Chanel has staged fashion shows for cruise for about a decade, including on boats, buses and in an airport hangar, the models disembarking from a CC-logo jet.
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Gucci led the way to a bigger and more protracted cruise season when it staged its first show for the interim season in lower Manhattan’s Gagosian Gallery in 2005. Dior joined the New York cruise calendar in 2006, and Oscar de la Renta staged an extravaganza of his own at the Morgan Library.
De la Renta is planning to have a resort show on June 1, but the location has yet to be determined.
Alberta Ferretti jumped the Atlantic in 2007 to show her cruise, a one-time appearance, while Proenza Schouler and Thakoon were among younger brands who showed resort collections for the first time. Contemporary brand Milla went further that year and flew about 75 fashion editors to a resort in Mexico to experience the collection.
Last year, while luxury was still riding high, Dior opened the resort marathon in mid-May with a poolside fashion fiesta at Guastavino’s attended by Jennifer Lopez, Charlize Theron, Christina Aguilera, Leighton Meester and Ziyi Zhang.
Last June, Diane von Furstenberg headed for Florence at the invitation of Pitti Immagine with a collection that hailed back to the fashionably wealthy American on vacation with a whiff of “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” The season wrapped up July 8 when Gucci designer Frida Giannini showed cruise in Rome at its renovated flagship.